Automatic railway-crossing signal



(No'ModeL) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

S. KELLER & W. A. SHARP. AUTOMATIG RAILWAY CROSSING SJGNAL. No 533,600.Patented Feb. 5, 1895.

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S. KELLER 8; W. A. SHARP. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY cnossme SIGNAL.

No. 533,600. Patented Feb. 5, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT Erich.

SOLOMON KELLER AND \VILLIAM' A. SHARP, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-CROSSING SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,600, dated February5, 1895.

Application filed August 6, 1894, Serial No. 519,546. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SOLOMON KELLER and WILLIAM A. SHARP, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Reading, county of Berks, State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in AutomaticRailway-Crossing Signals, of which the following is a specificatiou.

This invention relates to that class of signals which are intendedparticularly to give notice and warning automatically of the approachof-a train to a crossing.

The invention is described in connection with the accompanying drawingsand is specifically pointed out in the claims.

Figure l is a side elevation of the complete apparatus, one of thesignal arms being removed from its shaft to show the looking or springcatch mechanism more clearly. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same showingthe roof of the signal staff and the trip hammer for the gong removed.Fig. 3 is an edge View of the upper portion of the signal arm staffpartly broken away to show the signal arm shaft. Fig. 4 is a somewhatenlarged longitudinal elevation, partly in section, of the transverseoperating shaft K, and 5 is a cross sectional view of the same.

A represents the roadbed of the railway and B a signal staff located atany desired point a greater or less distance to one side of the track.At the top of this staff in suitable bearings is mounted a shaft O tothe outer ends of which are fixed signal arms 0 which are intended andadapted to normally hang vertically as indicated in Fig. l but areraised to horizontal position by an approaching train as willhereinafter be described.

P represents a fixed lamp which may be used for night service inconnection with red glass set in the outer ends of the signal arms.

The signal arm shaft 0 is operated by means of a chain or cord g one endof which is fixed to it while the opposite end, after passing over apulley Z) is connected to the upper end of a vertical lever G pivotedintermediately at g to the staff. The lower end of this lever has aconnection Zto a crank arm K mounted on a transverse operating shaft Kwhich is of sufiicient length to reach from the track outward to adistance corresponding with the location of the signal staff and issupportedin suitable bearing pieces in. The end of this shaft adjacentto the track is provided with an arm which is adapted to come in contactwith a projection provided on the side of the locomotive truck so thatthe latter in passing in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1will turn the shaft and with it the crank arm K so as to operate thelever G and so raise the signal arms on the shaft O. As the signal armsare thus raised to horizontal position a stop 0 on the shaft 0 passesbeyond the point of a catch F pivoted to the staff and the latter ispressed outward by a spring f so as to engage the stop 0' and thus lockthe arms in horizontal position though the shaft K shall have beenreturned to its original position by the action of a spring L providedbetween the opposite ends of the connection Z. At the same time that thesignal arms are raised a gong or bell E is also sounded by the action ofa cam or projection c on the shaft O upon a trip hammer D which issuitably pivoted.

The lowering of the arms is efiected automatically by means of anentirely separate mechanism comprising, a transverse shaft M having ahead m which is similarly operated by the passage of the locomotive,being connected by a chain it to the lower end of a lever H arrangedparallel with the lever Gand connected at its upper end to the springcatch F. As the train passes the shaft M in the direction of the arrowthe shaft 0 is thus released and the signal arms are free to drop totheir normal vertical position, while the shaft M is returned to itsoriginal position by the action of a spring N which is located betweenthe ends of the connection '12. This shaft has its hearings in thestandards or frames on.

To provide for the passage of a train in an opposite direction upon thetrack without operating the signal or interfering with its propersetting for the next train running in the direction of the arrow, Weprovide crank arms K, K and M on the shafts K and M which are mountedloosely on the shafts so as to be rotated with them only in onedirection by the engagement of shoulders as 70 on the crank arms withprojections as 70 on the shafts.

Referring to the shaft K the crank K will be rotated with it only whenmoved as indicated by the arrow, while the crank K will only be movedwith it in the opposite direction against the tension of a spring Lwhich returns the shaft to its operative position.

The crank M on the shaft M is locked to the shaft (by means similar tothose for looking cranks K and K to shaft K) only when the shaft isrotated by a train running in the same direction as locks said crank Kto its shaft, and it is provided with a spring N which acts upon ittoreturn the shaft to its normal position when the train has passed fromover the shaft.

The shafts K and M may evidently be of any desired length so as to rununder a number of intervening tracks; and they may be located at anydesired distance from the signal in either direction, so as to adapt ourautomatic apparatus to the safety block system.

What we claim is 1. The combination with the shaft carrying the signalarm, of a shaft adjacent to the track, said shaft having oppositely setcranks loosely mounted thereupon, one of said cranks having connectionwith the signal arm and being provided with means for looking it to theshaft when the latteris operated by a train running in one direction,and the other of said cranks having means for kicking it to the shaftwhen the latter is operated by'a train running in the oppositedirection, and a spring connected to said latter crank and serving toreturn the shaft to its normal position, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the shaft carrying the signal arm, and the shaftlocated adjacent to the track and having projections, of oppositely setcranks-as K K 1oosely mounted on said latter shaft and provided withshoulders, said cranks, shoulders and pins being so arranged that onecrank will be looked to the shaft only when the shaft is rotated in onedirection, and the other crank locked to the shaft only when the latteris rotated in the other direction, connections between crank K and thefirst mentioned shaft, and a spring acting upon crank K to return theshaft to its operative position, substantially as described and for thepurposes specified.

3. The combination with the shaft carrying the signal arm, a shaft Kadjacent to the track having connection with said first-mentioned shaft,a means for returning said shaft K to its normal position when the trainhas passed beyond it, and means for retaining the signal arm inhorizontal position, of a shaft M operated by the train for releasingsaid retaining means, a spring for returning said shaft M to its normalposition when the train has passed beyond it, a crank loosely mountedupon said shaft M and provided with means looking it thereto only whenthe shaft is rotated in a certain direction, and a spring engaging saidcrank, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the shaft carrying the signal arm, a shaft Kadjacent to the track, oppositely set cranks loosely mounted upon saidshaft K, one of said cranks having connection with the signal arm andprovided with means for looking it to the shaft when the latter isoperated by a train running in one direction, and the other of saidcranks having means for looking it to the shaft when the latter isoperated by a train running in the opposite direction, and a springengaging said latter crank, a retaining mechanism for the signal arm, ashaft M connected with said retaining mechanism and serving to releasethe same when engaged by a train, a spring for returning said shaft M toits normal position, a crank mounted loosely upon said shaft M andprovided with a means which looks it thereto only when the shaft isrotated by a train running in a certain direction, and a spring engagingsaid crank, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination with the shaft carrying the signal arm, and the shaftadjacent to the tracks, of cranks loosely mounted upon the latter shaft,and means for locking said cranks to their shaft, one of said cranksbeing connected with the first-mentioned shaft and locked to and movedwith its shaft only when the latter is rotated in a certain direction,

and the other of said cranks being lockedto and moved with its shaftonly when the latter is rotated in a direction opposite that in which itmoves the first-mentioned crank, substantially as described and for thepurposes specified.

6. The combination with the shaft O and with shafts K and M, of cranks Kand M loosely mounted upon said shafts K and M, means for locking saidcranks to their respective shafts when the latter are operated by atrain running in a certain direction, a connection between crank K andshaft 0, a signal arm upon said latter shaft, a detaining mechanism 'forsaid signal arm, said detaining mechanism being connected with saidcrank M a crank K loosely mounted on shaft K, means for locking saidlatter crank to its shaft when the latter is rotated by a train runningin a direction opposite that above referred to, and means for returningsaid shafts and cranks to their normal positions,substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

SOLOMON KELLER. WILLIAM A. SHARP.

Witnesses:

CAMERON E. STRAUSS, WASHINGTON P. PFLUM.

IOC

